New here - pacing question

[Mrs.Mom]

Hello! I am new to this forum and so excited to have found it! My 9.5yo is in 4th grade, but we are using 5th grade curriculum. I have a question regarding pacing. He is working through his lessons so quickly, and I am a little stuck. This is our first "real" year of homeschooling and I don't have a firm grasp on how I should be dictating his pace.

 

Does anyone have any guidance on this?

 

For example, every math lesson we do, he just 'gets'. After a few problems, he will say mom - I understand this (and he does them correctly) ... can we move on? Now I am not one for trite repetition either, so some days math is literally 10 minutes. I was trying to do a lesson a day because he is working a year ahead of his grade level ... and I know there will be tough lessons ahead. But so far ... it just comes so easily.

 

Same with grammar and language. Writing is a challenge for him (as in he has to think about it, but still does well). He has such a solid understanding of things like sentence structure, parts of speech, main ideas/topic sentences, supporting details - things my high school students don't even get half the time. (I teach online high school English).

 

Sooooooooo, do we just accelerate like crazy? Do I worry about skipping fundamentals? Oh and science! We are doing cells and reproduction, body systems, mitosis ... he just absorbs it, gets it and is ready to move on. Social studies is the same. We do Bible and Spanish, also ... as well as a carpentry class. And a homeschool group on Fridays - so really, we only study M-Th.

 

I want to provide a challenge for him but I am struggling to find exactly where that is. Does anyone have any guidance for us? :)

 

Little brother is more on par - middle of the road, average guy. He is in 1st grade, and doing first grade stuff, requires teaching a concept a few times, practices, then moves forward. So this is definitely a contrast; it's not just my inexperience in homeschooling. :)

 

Thanks all!! I look forward to hearing from folks!

[lewelma]

Welcome!

 

There are obviously different ways to do things, but I work on finding more difficult material rather than speeding through material that is average in difficulty.

 

For example, my dc work through the intensive practice books in Singapore math rather than the workbooks, because the IP books are much harder.

 

However, gifted kids also can need curriculum "compacted." So sometimes, I just have him do 2 problems per page out of 20, and just move on. I know that others pretest the material, and skip anything that a child already knows.

 

As for science, you need to find harder books. I can give you some suggestions if you tell me your next topics.

 

It would help us evaluate your program if you tell us what curriculum/resources you are using.

 

Ruth in NZ

Edited October 10, 2012 by lewelma

[boscopup]

What math curriculum are you using? That would help give you specific ideas.

 

I've used Math Mammoth and Singapore with DS1. In Math Mammoth, I went over the new concept, had him do a few problems orally, and then I assigned a number of problems based on how well he understood the concept. If he had never seen the concept before, we did more problems. If he obviously had already learned (or taught himself) the concept, we might just do a few token problems and move on. In some cases, I skipped whole chapters and gave him a chapter test instead. He aced it every time I did this - I can tell what he knows. In Singapore, I haven't had to accelerate quite as much (I used MM to get him to "where he is"), but sometimes I still hit topics that he already knows well. For example, we hit the fractions unit in 5A, where they teach multiplying and dividing fractions. He's been multiplying fractions in Life of Fred, so he really didn't need to practice that. I skipped over to dividing by fractions, and that was new to him. I taught the concept, then instead of having him do the workbook exercises, we went straight to the "Practice" section in the book (there are often a couple workbook exercises, then a practice page, then the next topic). He doesn't need to practice dividing by fractions ad nauseum. He got it pretty quickly. On the last practice he did, he got all problems correct - not even silly mistakes. So I feel comfortable moving on.

 

If you're using a spiral curriculum, it can sometimes be a bit harder to accelerate, but it is possible. My friend used CLE to catch her DD up, and once her DD started really "getting" math, they would often do several lessons in a day by doing just the new parts of each lesson and the review section of the last lesson. CLE has a short new part and a long review section that spirals.

 

Don't be afraid to accelerate to where your son is. You don't want him bored in math! Do look at http://artofproblemsolving.com to see some ways you can pad the sequence. For example, next year in 4th grade, my oldest will be doing prealgebra, but using some of the extra books at AoPS, my plan is to push Calculus out to 11th grade at the earliest. Totally doable with AoPS series. I'm sure AoPS will slow him down to a reasonable pace, as it will be harder than elementary math. ;)

[Mrs.Mom]

Oh my gosh, you guys are so kind - and such a support! Basically, we are using the public school's 5th grade textbooks. I live in North Carolina (temporarily) and they allowed me to use the books for free. I am a certified teacher, but ... I teach high school. So this whole multi-level elementary stuff is newer for me. (I have taught elementary and middle school in a private setting, but even there I created my own curriculum; and I can't say with certainty it was all that amazing. heh)

 

I doubt this helps you guys but ... we are using an Envision 5th grade math book (NC-based, it looks like), and our science book is Harcourt Science, 5th grade. It appears to be a survey course, of sorts. Biology, astronomy, physics, chemistry - it appears to be an intro to each of these major disciplines. It looked challenging ... until I watched my son whiz through these concepts. The science and social studies (US history) I am basically using as guides, and we do a lot of real life supplement/application. (This is where I can use some of my own teaching experience the most, along with our English. These are all somewhat "easy" to modify ... though I am curious about a higher-level science book and would love to hear some insight on that).

 

But in math, I am having a hard time pumping up the curriculum because I don't want to miss key fundamentals. This compacting strategy sounds very much like what we are doing. I think I just needed an outside voice saying yes, that is ok. We are part of a homeschool group that is very enriching, but I don't always feel comfortable sharing these particular challenges because the moms can misinterpret my motivations.

 

Back to my point - I really do like this math book. I like what it covers, and I like the order it covers it. This is a good road map to follow. We are just going through it so dang fast. But what I am hearing is ... that is ok. It's ok to skip a chapter, to do 3 or 5 problems and move forward ... that moving faster is not a detriment; it is, in fact, a positive thing. Staying idle in anything my son understands is like nails on a chalkboard to him - but I just want to make sure we are not getting a shabby understanding. Review. Perhaps I just need to throw in more review as we whiz through these topics, eh?

 

I think outloud ... I am sorry for the rambling. You are helping me sort this out in my head. I just don't have a precedent yet. :)

 

Thanks!!!

[regentrude]

Public school math, particularly 5th grade, moves at a snail's pace - for a student who "gets" it pure torture. He needs a more challenging math program.

I would highly recommend looking into Art of Problem Solving. A fabulous math curriculum for students who like and are good at math. We used it for DS starting with Intro to Algebra in 6th grade, but they now have a prealgebra text. I would speed through the school text until he is ready for AoPS prealgebra.

[a27mom]

I am not very experienced, and my kids are younger, but as a newbie myself I have been hit over the head w/ the pacing issue recently.

 

I try to remember these 2 things:

 

1. If we inadvertently miss something foundational, we are ahead anyway and can pause and go back to it if it becomes an issue later.

 

2. Almost all subjects repeat themselves frequently, so if she masters grade level (for whatever grade level she happens to be working in) We don't have to do depth or hang out in the subject if she isn't interested. She will get more depth later. We can take the extra time left from "flying through" to let her pursue whatever interest she is passionate about (for mine right now it is lego, coloring, and her doll house ;) )

 

Both these thoughts help me to stay relaxed.

[Dmmetler]

Do you have the tests for math? My suggestion is to do the end of book, or end of chapter tests if you don't want to jump that far, and then teach ONLY what he doesn't know. My DD did 5th grade Singapore Math in about 2 months, completely on her own, only because I insisted that she finish it before I let her start pre-algebra using this method, and even SM had a lot of repetition of skills at the 5th grade level. Most PS textbooks in the US are much worse in that regard.

 

Same with science. It;s likely he already knows a large chunk of the content, so test, then fill gaps (and, in science, follow rabbit trails).

 

As far as pacing goes, I've come to the conclusion that pacing can't be set by me. Basically, I provide, materials, ideas, and a ride to the library-and then try to hold on!

 

I do test at the end of the year, and for some reason, despite never actually DOING anything on grade level, DD seems to get that content through osmosis and exposure at higher levels, so I figure that even if we're missing some gaps that an actual 6th/7th grader might not have, by the time she's officially a 6th/7th grader she'll have filled them while working on whatever level she's working on at the time.

Edited October 10, 2012 by dmmetler

[Mrs.Mom]

Thanks everyone for the input! I will look into the Art of Problem Solving - that sounds really great!

[linders]

For math, I suggest having him try the Singapore placement tests here http://www.singaporemath.com/Placement_s/12.htm. Once you have a feel for placement, you could challenge him with the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems books (or even switch to SM entirely).

 

For language arts, I really recommend getting away from the public school texts. IMHO, the grammar focus is very weak, writing focuses on creative writing rather than structured writing, and literature is snippets from sources instead of whole books.

[Mrs.Mom]

For math, I suggest having him try the Singapore placement tests here http://www.singaporemath.com/Placement_s/12.htm. Once you have a feel for placement, you could challenge him with the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems books (or even switch to SM entirely).

 

For language arts, I really recommend getting away from the public school texts. IMHO, the grammar focus is very weak, writing focuses on creative writing rather than structured writing, and literature is snippets from sources instead of whole books.

 

 

Oh thank you for the link - I will check it out!!! As far as language arts, I put that together myself so I am not using the PS stuff. Science and social studies I am able to supplement pretty well. It's just primarily math that am unsure of. Today we cruised through an entire chapter in about 20 minutes, so ... yah. Time to change that program. :)

[kiana]

Oh thank you for the link - I will check it out!!! As far as language arts, I put that together myself so I am not using the PS stuff. Science and social studies I am able to supplement pretty well. It's just primarily math that am unsure of. Today we cruised through an entire chapter in about 20 minutes, so ... yah. Time to change that program. :)

 

Ayup.

 

Honestly, I would move through the book (since you do have it for free) by allowing him to do the chapter test (assuming you have one in this book), remediating any 'holes' that you see (if he misses a problem, teach the concept in the relevant area of the chapter -- if he misses several, do the whole chapter) and allow him to move forward at his pace. If he starts to struggle in algebra, there are other options then and people here can be very helpful with figuring out where to go next.

[Mrs.Mom]

I accidentally went through two chapters this morning ... at this pace, we are going to run out of book here pretty soon. These are important fundamentals though so I feel the need to at least sit down with him and explain the material because he is unfamiliar with it, having never formally been taught the material. Meaning... if I just give him a test on algebraic equations (our next chapter), he won't have a clue considering he hasn't really seen them before. But when I sit down with him, show him, give him an example, it clicks and voila. From that moment onward, he just gets it. I feel like I am just shining flashlights on things that he would know if he knew it existed ... if that makes any sense. Hah, it's hard to explain but I have a feeling folks here get what I am talking about. I am guessing when we hit algebra, we are going to fly. I can see how enriched and enthusiastic he is about the "smarter" math, moving out of basic operations.

 

I think you are right - we are going to just get through this book and see how far into the year we go. (We started late this year, so this is only the 3rd or 4th week of school for us). At that point, I will figure out where to go from there. I am thinking we will be through this math book in a month. Hrmm.

 

Today was double-digit division and he finally kicked me out of the room so he could figure out what I was telling him. I hate division so I didn't teach it very well. Usually we wind up with an oh, THAT'S what you do? Yah, I knew that! I thought you were saying to do this...

 

Background on my son: the past few years in public school have NOT been effective. He has severe anxiety and the behavior issues in school (falling out of his chair instead of doing math, having a total meltdown having to write one sentence, etc). We finally pulled him when the school wanted to put him in special ed (nice) and now, he is soaring! But he missed a lot of that foundation growth in the first and second grade. Played catch up in 3rd, but he wasn't real "solid" yet as it was our first homeschool year and I was still unschooling him. Now ... I don't know where we are! Like I said ... alot of these concepts he just glazed over in public school as a 6 and 7 yr old. So I need to lay that foundation... if that makes any sense.

[kiana]

I accidentally went through two chapters this morning ... at this pace, we are going to run out of book here pretty soon. These are important fundamentals though so I feel the need to at least sit down with him and explain the material because he is unfamiliar with it, having never formally been taught the material. Meaning... if I just give him a test on algebraic equations (our next chapter), he won't have a clue considering he hasn't really seen them before. But when I sit down with him, show him, give him an example, it clicks and voila. From that moment onward, he just gets it. I feel like I am just shining flashlights on things that he would know if he knew it existed ... if that makes any sense. Hah, it's hard to explain but I have a feeling folks here get what I am talking about. I am guessing when we hit algebra, we are going to fly. I can see how enriched and enthusiastic he is about the "smarter" math, moving out of basic operations. .

 

Ah, yes. You could be describing me. :)

 

Firstly, again, I would continue to allow him to move forward rapidly. If that means a chapter in a day, great!

 

Secondly, this really sounds like the kind of child who will benefit from AOPS as soon as he's ready.